


Reconnecting

by GreyHaven



Series: Duke and Nathan as partners in crime [1]
Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Army, Duke and Nathan as partners in crime, Friendship, Gen, brief reference to Iraq war, guns are mentioned, inaccurate army stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 13:39:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11254074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyHaven/pseuds/GreyHaven
Summary: Loosely connected toCookieDoughMe'sNate Hansen AUOne possible way Duke and Nathan could go from teenage tearaways to partners in crime.





	Reconnecting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CookieDoughMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieDoughMe/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Have a little Faith](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11032125) by [CookieDoughMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieDoughMe/pseuds/CookieDoughMe). 



> [CookieDoughMe](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieDoughMe/pseuds/CookieDoughMe) is writing an *amazing* series of interconnected fics in the [Nate Hansen AU](http://archiveofourown.org/series/740616) which gave me headcanons about Army Nathan. She very kindly said she didn't mind if I wrote a little ficlet about one possibility for how they ended up being partners in crime, so here it is :)

Nate exchanged a glance with Duke.  It wasn’t the first time they’d seen the inside of a police station.  It  _ was _ the first time they’d been there in handcuffs.  Duke looked resigned and slightly amused but Nate couldn’t find anything even remotely funny about their present situation.  He supposed he should be relieved that the Chief hadn’t just thrown them in a cell, preferring to leave them in his office instead.  His heart thumped as the Chief came back in and quietly closed the door behind him.

Garland Wuornos wearily sighed as he took in the two young lads in front of him.  He’d turned a blind eye to them stealing food, playing truant, even their pathetic attempts at pickpocketing.  Gloria had persuaded him to be lenient, had reminded him that neither boy had a good role model at home, that they deserved understanding and support, not punishment.  She’d tried her best, hell, even  _ he’d _ tried to get them some help but Family Services couldn’t do anything without a specific complaint and neither of them had wanted to do that.

And now here they were, progressing onto bigger and badder things, the way he always knew they would.  Shoplifting food was one thing.  Shoplifting electronics to sell on...that was quite another.  He couldn’t ignore it any longer.  They were 16, they knew better by now.  Deciding to be blunt with them, he spoke.

“Way I see it, you have two chances.  You can go into the Army, try to make something of your lives,” he paused.

“Or?” Duke interrupted, still full of cheek and bravado.

“Or,” Garland glared at him.  “I’m charging you both for theft.  Both got records.  Likely you’ll end up in Juvie.”

***

Duke chose to take his chances in front of a judge, gambling that his easy charm would be sufficient to avoid a custodial sentence.  His gamble didn’t pay off.  He got 8 months inside and came out with a bigger chip on his shoulder than before.  He dropped off the radar after that.  Last Nate had heard from Bill McShaw, he was over somewhere on the west coast, fallen in with a bad crowd.  It wasn’t just stealing to get by any more, it was a lifestyle.

***

Nate knew he stood no chance with a judge, his stony faced quietness came off as arrogance far too often.  He opted to join the army and set about trying to get himself kicked out.  The Chief had said he had to  _ join _ the army, not that he had to stay there.

It was six months before he realised it wasn’t working.  Half the recruits there were trying the same thing, he wasn’t anything special here.  Somehow, he passed basic training and realised that maybe, just  _ maybe _ , this life was for him.  He signed up for four years service, the minimum term offered, and settled down to it.  Wasn’t like he had many options.

Those four years gave him discipline, purpose.  He learned skills and became a man.  They taught him how to kill.  How to coldly, mercilessly, take another life when necessary.  The key word was ‘necessary’.  Rules of engagement and all that.  He found he  _ liked _ rules, hadn’t had many at home except ‘don’t upset your father’ and he hadn’t exactly needed reminding about  _ that _ .  

He became an expert with weapons.  Everything from large to small.  If it went ‘bang’, he could work it, fix it, fire it.  At the end of his four years, he signed up for another two.  He worked his way up the ranks.  Not quickly, his face didn’t quite fit, but he led a small platoon.  He was on his second tour in Iraq when a disastrous decision by a higher-up meant a raid went wrong.  He lost all but two of his men.  That was it.  He was done with the Army and its ridiculous chain of command.

***

It was on his third trip to Iraq that he met Dwight.  They were out there as Private Military Contractors.  Hah, that was a laugh.  They were mercenaries.  Providing the military with ‘plausible deniability’, taking on the missions that no one else could.

They were shooting the shit over a few beers when Dwight mentioned it.  That was the best thing about being a PMC, none of this ‘dry country’ bullshit.  A few beers, a shot or two of whisky, that’s what you needed out here in this godforsaken desert.

One of Dwight’s ‘associates’ (and Nate had chosen not to ask for any more details) was looking for a business partner, someone who knew about weapons.  Well that was something Nate knew  _ all _ about.  So Dwight had given him a number.

When he called it, an oh-so-familiar voice answered.

***

Duke hadn’t spoken to Nate since he went into the Army.  He didn’t want to be associated with “goody two shoes” who actually wanted to turn his life around.  As for Duke?  Well he hadn’t changed his ways, he’d just slipped deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld.  He’d met Dwight when he was looking for someone to carry out a contract, something unsavoury that Duke  _ really _ hadn’t wanted to be involved in.  Not his style at all.

And now there was a voice on the phone, a blast from the past, explaining that he’d got the number from Dwight.  He didn’t waste time on pleasantries.  It had been seven years since they last saw each other.  Seven years since Nate had  _ left him _ .  That’s how he saw it anyway.  They’d had a choice.  Duke chose one way, Nate the other.  He could have stayed with Duke if he’d  _ wanted _ to.  But no, he’d just gone.

Still, if he had the right skillset, the specific knowledge that Duke was looking for in a business partner, it was worth a meeting.  He gave Nate a warning that this number wouldn’t work again and that he should ditch his phone, pick up a new burner, and hung up.

***

So here he was, Nate Hansen, thousands of miles from home once again, pulling into a deserted parking lot in West LA at 3am and wondering what the fuck he was doing.  He waited, leaning back against the hard seat of the Ford Bronco he’d bought when he left the Army.

It wasn’t long before his wait was over.  A piss-yellow landrover pulled up and the familiar form of Duke Crocker slipped lithely out of the cab.  More muscles, definitely more ink but Duke.  Every inch  _ Duke _ .

He uncurled himself from the truck and dropped to the floor to greet him.

“Duke.”

“Nate.”

“It’s good to see you,” because it  _ was _ .  Seven years apart suddenly meant nothing, it was as though he’d never left.

Duke sagged slightly, the tension leaving him.  Damn but it was good to see Nate again.  He’d barely changed.  Filled out a bit maybe, and his face was definitely...harder somehow, but still Nate.  He briefly considered throwing a punch, just to make it clear he was still  _ pissed off _ that he’d left, but his arm wouldn’t co-operate and he pulled Nate into a warm embrace instead.  “Good to see you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> My knowledge of the US Army is somewhat limited and information is not particularly easy to find on google so I've based Nathan's career on what would be possible in the UK Army. I know there are some differences, particularly regarding Armourers (weapon experts), so please bear in mind that this is not strictly accurate :)


End file.
